China expels aerospace executive in sweeping military corruption crackdown

China’s anti-graft watchdog announced on Monday that former aerospace defense executive Tan Ruisong has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party for corruption, marking the latest move in a broad crackdown on corruption within the country’s military-industrial complex.

Tan, the former chairman of state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), “lived off the military sector” and accepted a massive amount in bribes, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). His case has been transferred to prosecutors for further legal action.

The unusually detailed statement from the CCDI accused Tan of betraying his ideals, violating Party regulations by “accepting banquets,” engaging in “power-for-sex transactions,” and using his position to “seek profits for others in enterprise restructuring and … contracting engineering projects.”

Tan’s expulsion comes as part of a historic anti-corruption purge in China’s military, which has seen at least 14 military delegates removed from the country’s national legislative body over the past two years. Among those ousted are four generals, eight lieutenant generals, and two major generals. At least three other aerospace defense executives have also been expelled from China’s top political advisory body.

Neither Tan nor AVIC responded to requests for comment.

His downfall follows the high-profile investigation of Miao Hua, a senior Chinese military official and former top political officer of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), who was placed under investigation three months ago for “serious violations of discipline.”

China’s two previous defense ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, were also expelled from the Communist Party in June over corruption charges. Li’s case, in particular, was linked to fraudulent procurement of military equipment, according to Reuters.

Many of those purged have ties to the PLA Rocket Force, the elite military branch overseeing China’s most advanced conventional and nuclear missiles. Analysts suggest that rooting out deep-seated corruption could take years, potentially slowing President Xi Jinping’s military modernization efforts.